Abstract
This chapter begins with a brief account of the Indian Expeditionary Force (IEF) in France in 191418, its composition and its actual role in warfare on the Western Front. It then moves on to an examination of some of the methodological problems posed by the use of the soldiers censored mails as historical sources. The chapter offers a broad analysis of the material itself with a focus on the question of gender, as, in the eyes of the Indian soldiers, it clearly emerged as the main marker of difference between French and Indian societies. The chapter reflects on two different possible interpretations, one emphasizing the internalization of certain norms of colonial discourse, and one giving more weight to the actual encounters which occurred in the field between Indian male soldiers and French female civilians. Keywords: Indian Expeditionary Force (IEF); Indian soldiers
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